Rayo Vallecano vs Villarreal
Match recap
Rayo Vallecano beat Villarreal 2–0 in their La Liga fixture. Camello and Alemão scored for Rayo Vallecano. Expected-goals data put the chance balance at 1.53 for Rayo Vallecano versus 1.00 for Villarreal. Rayo Vallecano sit 8th in the La Liga table while Villarreal are 3rd.
Analysis
As the La Liga season nears its climax, Rayo Vallecano host Villarreal in what promises to be a closely contested match. Both teams have plenty to play for, and the prediction points to a balanced affair.
Villarreal currently sit comfortably in 3rd place with 69 points, while Rayo Vallecano are mid-table in 10th with 44 points. Villarreal's superior goal difference and points per game highlight their stronger campaign, but Rayo's home advantage and defensive resilience could level the playing field.
Villarreal boast key attacking threats like Nicolas Pépé, who has netted 8 goals and provided 6 assists this season, showing strong recent form. However, injury doubts over Georges Mikautadze and the absence of Rayo's creative midfielder Isi Palazón due to suspension could impact the flow. Rayo's defensive stalwart Florian Lejeune is expected to be pivotal in containing Villarreal's forwards. Both sides have shown discipline issues, with a predicted total of four cards adding to the match's intensity.
Prediction
The forecast is a 1-1 draw, with a goalless first half giving way to goals from both sides in the second. The match is expected to be competitive, with neither team able to secure a decisive advantage. Four cards are likely, reflecting the high stakes and physical nature of the encounter.
Outcome probability
Key Insights
Key attackers missing or questionable
Rayo Vallecano missing top scorer Jorge de Frutos and key midfielder Álvaro García; Villarreal's Mikautadze questionable.
Villarreal's strong scoring streak
Villarreal has scored in last 5 matches, showing attacking momentum against Rayo's defense.
Rayo's defensive stalwarts vs Villarreal's attackers
Lejeune and Rațiu provide solid defense to counter Villarreal's top scorers like Pépé and Mikautadze.
Villarreal's higher average goals and assists
Villarreal averages 1.9 goals/game vs Rayo's 1.0, with key players above league averages in scoring and creativity.
Recent encounters favor Villarreal attack
Villarreal scored multiple goals in recent matches against Rayo, indicating offensive edge.
Key Takeaways
In summary, this La Liga fixture should provide an entertaining contest with balanced chances. Villarreal's attacking prowess meets Rayo Vallecano's defensive grit, culminating in a fair share of points for both sides.
- Villarreal rank 3rd with 69 points; Rayo Vallecano are 10th with 44 points.
- Villarreal have a +24 goal difference; Rayo Vallecano have -6.
- Villarreal average 1.92 points per game; Rayo Vallecano average 1.22.
- Nicolas Pépé leads Villarreal with 8 goals and 6 assists this season.
- Rayo Vallecano's Florian Lejeune is key to their defensive stability.
- Isi Palazón (Rayo) and Santi Comesaña (Villarreal) are suspended, impacting midfield creativity.
- Predicted total cards in the match is 4, indicating a competitive game.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Rayo Vallecano
Away — Villarreal
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Camello
Assist: Rațiu
Buchanan
Alemão
Assist: Trejo
Lejeune
Yellow Card
Oluwaseyi
Santi Comesaña
Trejo
Gueye
Camello
Alemão
Kambwala Ndengushi
Pep Chavarría
López
Yellow Card
López
Mouriño
Yellow Card
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barcelona | 38 | 31 | 1 | 6 | +59 | 94 |
| 2 |  Real Madrid | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | +42 | 86 |
| 3 |  Villarreal | 38 | 22 | 6 | 10 | +26 | 72 |
| 4 |  Atletico Madrid | 38 | 21 | 6 | 11 | +18 | 69 |
| 7 |  Getafe | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | -6 | 51 |
| 8 |  Rayo Vallecano | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | -3 | 50 |
| 9 |  Valencia | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | -9 | 49 |
Match Statistics
Rayo Vallecano
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 2A. RațiuD
- 3Pep ChavarríaD
- 6P. CissD
- 8Ó. TrejoM
- 9AlemãoF
- 10Sergio CamelloM
- 13A. BatallaG
- 17Unai LópezM
- 19Jorge de FrutosM
- 23Óscar ValentínM
- 24F. LejeuneD
Substitutes
- 1Dani CárdenasG
- 4Pedro DíazM
- 11R. NtekaM
- 14Carlos MartínF
- 15GumbauM
- 16A. MuminD
- 20I. BalliuD
- 21Fran PérezM
- 22A. EspinoD
- 30JuanpeG
- 32N. MendyD
- 33J. VertrouwdD
Villarreal
4-4-2Starting XI
- 4Rafa MarínD
- 5Willy Kambwala NdengushiD
- 14Santi ComesañaM
- 15S. MouriñoD
- 17T. BuchananM
- 18P. GueyeM
- 20Alberto MoleiroM
- 21T. OluwaseyiF
- 22Ayoze PérezF
- 23Sergi CardonaD
- 25Arnau TenasG
Substitutes
- 1Luíz JúniorG
- 2Logan CostaD
- 3A. FreemanD
- 6Pau NavarroD
- 7Gerard MorenoF
- 9G. MikautadzeF
- 10Dani ParejoM
- 11Alfon GonzálezF
- 16T. ParteyM
- 19N. PépéF
- 24PedrazaD
Rayo Vallecano
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Rațiu | D | 90 | 8.3 | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 3/5 |
| Óscar Trejo(C) | M | 66 | 7.9 | — | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1/1 |
| Sergio Camello | M | 73 | 7.9 | 1 | — | 4 | 2 | — | 2/3 |
| Florian Lejeune | D | 90 | 7.9 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| Óscar Valentín | M | 90 | 7.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |
| Augusto Batalla | G | 90 | 7.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pathé Ismaël Ciss | D | 90 | 7.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alemão | F | 74 | 7.5 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 0/1 |
| Jorge de Frutos | M | 90 | 7.5 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0/2 |
| Unai López | M | 82 | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1/1 |
| Josep Chavarría | D | 81 | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Nobel Mendy | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jozhua Vertrouwd | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Juanpe | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dani Cárdenas | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Randy Nteka | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Gerard Gumbau | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Iván Balliu | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pacha | D | 9 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Abdul Mumin | D | 8 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fran Pérez | M | 17 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 0/1 |
| Carlos Martín | F | 16 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pedro Díaz | M | 24 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1/1 |
Villarreal
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnau Tenas | G | 90 | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Santi Comesaña(C) | M | 64 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Santiago Mouriño | D | 90 | 6.7 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 0/2 |
| Pape Gueye | M | 72 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Ayoze Pérez | F | 90 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/2 |
| Tajon Buchanan | M | 45 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Rafa Marín | D | 90 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Willy Kambwala | D | 77 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tani Oluwaseyi | F | 63 | 6.2 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1/5 |
| Sergi Cardona | D | 90 | 6.2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0/1 |
| Alberto Moleiro | M | 90 | 5.6 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/3 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Georges Mikautadze | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alfonso Pedraza | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nicolas Pépé | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Luiz Júnior | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pau Navarro | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alexander Freeman | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Gerard Moreno | F | 27 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Logan Costa | D | 13 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Thomas Partey | M | 26 | 6.7 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1/1 |
| Dani Parejo | M | 18 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
| Alfon González | F | 45 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |